Police to Limit Muslim Access to Temple Mount on Friday

Israeli police will limit access for Muslim men to Al-Aqsa mosque compound during Friday prayers to prevent possible clashes.

By Elad Benari

First Publish: 2/28/2014, 2:13 AM

Israeli policeman on on Temple Mount, Al-Aqsa Mosque

Flash 90

Israeli police have announced they will limit access for Muslim men to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound during Friday prayers to prevent possible clashes following services, AFP reported Thursday.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri told the news agency that men under the age of 50 will be barred from Friday prayers, based on intelligence of plans for unrest, with security forces bolstering their presence in the area.

On Tuesday morning clashes broke out on the site as Muslim rioters threw rocks and firecrackers at police when they opened the Rambam Gate, also known as the Mughrabi Gate, the only entrance for Jewish visitors to the holiest site in Judaism. As a result two police were injured, and Jews were reportedly banned from the Mount.

A senior security official warned on Thursday of attempts by Hamas to "inflame" the Temple Mount, and in doing so cause chaos throughout Judea and Samaria.

In response to the Knesset debate about the Temple Mount, the Arab League discussed the possibility of filing a complaint to the UN Security Council over alleged “Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa compound.”